


Salvage

by dollylux



Category: Football RPF
Genre: Hurt/Comfort, Injury, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-06-17
Updated: 2014-06-17
Packaged: 2018-02-05 00:10:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,426
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1798378
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dollylux/pseuds/dollylux
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sergio finds Nando during halftime at the Spain-Belgium game.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Salvage

Fernando laid prone on the small bed in the exam room. He had been abandoned momentarily; both the doctor and the nurse had stepped out, speaking in hushed whispers he wouldn't have been able to understand anyway. He hadn't needed to hear a word; he knew it wasn't good, he knew what this meant for him.

He brought his hands to his face, leaving a trail of dark green shards of grass up his cheeks. He ground his teeth together, hands tightening in punishing fists in his hair. He was keeping his legs still, trying not to flex his thigh because he was absolutely terrified of the pain he felt there. It had just been a moment, a paralyzing moment on the pitch and he almost fell under the weight of it, the sheer terror. The only thought that kept speeding through his mind like a maniacal record was: _Atlético, you're going to miss the Atlético game,_ your _game, Fernando, you're not going to get to go home._ The sob he gave in the empty room erupted from deep in his chest and exploded across the tile, across the sterile cabinets, over his own battered, trembling hands.

It was supposed to be his game.

Suddenly the building came to life with bright sounds, the sounds of Spanish voices and boys he knew and loved moving about, moving closer. Halftime. The voices became less of a din when he heard the majority of the team head down the hall toward the locker room. Then a few voices turned into just two, one of which he recognized above the other, above all others. The click of a single pair of football boots on tile in such a familiar gait filled Fernando's ears, and he suddenly became aware of how tense his entire body was. He lowered his hands from his face, tried to sit up a little without stretching too much. The knock on the door was so polite that Fernando had to find a smile.

"Come in, Sergio."

Sergio was still panting, still trying to catch his breath as he made his way into the room. His huge eyes were even wider with worry and traveling the length of Fernando's body as if they could diagnose on sight alone. A shaky hand pushed up into dark hair, ridding it of a headband that seemed to wrap itself around Sergio's wrist. He licked his mouth fully before coming to a stop against the edge of the bed, long fingers finding Fernando's thigh, easing up under the hem of his soft shorts and pressing in so gently. It took everything in Fernando not to burst into childish tears. He had always tried to be strong in front of others, always told himself that it was because he had been captain for so long, that it had been his duty to be strong. But Sergio always took that away from him, especially in moments like these, he always stripped him bare and left him raw with emotion, left him shaking in his vulnerability and practically begging to be covered, to be comforted, to be protected. Sergio always gave him the distinct impression that he could take care of him when he needed it the most. It scared the hell out of him.

He met Sergio's eyes for the briefest of seconds before looking down, soft eyelashes against pinked, freckled skin. Sergio's heart sank, his fingers tightening in desperation. He shook his head in denial, blinking quickly through empathetic tears. His free hand came up to cup Fernando's cheek, begging those eyes back up to his own again. He leaned down over him and rained kisses across Fernando's cheeks, his nose, his mouth. Tears, sweat, and rain followed Sergio's mouth across his skin.

"How long?"

"I think he said ten days. At least."

Fernando's face crumpled as he said this, his mouth abandoning him to tremble. He instinctively reached up to hide his face, but Sergio's hand caught his wrist, brought it up to rest on his rain-soaked chest. Sergio pressed his forehead against Fernando's and met his eyes from the close distance. Their lashes met and curled against each other. Fernando felt Sergio's mouth full and warm against his. He felt his fingers stroking across his cheeks, ridding them of the tiny bits of grass, of both of their tears. When Sergio started to pet his hair, he felt himself start to cry. He opened his mouth once and then again to try and explain his way through it, to try and make Sergio understand. Sergio kissed the lips trembling against his own, shaking his head just once to try and quiet him, to try and convey that he understood, that he didn't need his words. Fernando pressed his hand hard against Sergio's chest, his gnawed-down fingernails trying to grip as his fingers curled around his shirt, as he tried to pull him down, to get him closer, closer, please, god, I need you.

Sergio kissed him deeply then, lifting a knee to press it into the bed to try and cover him, to hide him as best as he could, hide him from everything, from nothing. The hand that wasn't in Fernando's hair found his thigh again, strong fingers pressing in and around his thigh to get to the back of it, his knuckles against the white linen, buried between it and Fernando's skin. He rubbed it with a firm, tender hand as he kissed him, feeding Fernando his tongue when he parted his pink mouth to moan. Fernando grappled for him, trying to find purchase anywhere on Sergio he could, desperate fingers digging at arms and shoulders and cheeks and hair. Sweat fell in droplets from Sergio's hair down around Fernando. He lifted his leg just slightly to give Sergio room to massage, to let those fingers do anything they wanted. Sergio licked inside of his mouth, trying wholeheartedly to offer him some comfort even though he needed to leave more urgently with each passing second. Just like clockwork, he heard Iker call his name, the sound bouncing toward them down the hallway.

When Sergio tried to sit up, Fernando tightened his hands on him, clinging to him, refusing to let the kiss end, refusing to let him go. The whimper that escaped his throat embarrassed him and made him all the more upset at the thought of Sergio leaving him. Sergio made a soft song of shushing, of trying to quiet him. He eased Fernando back against the pillow, melting kisses up along his face. He searched his eyes when he stood upright again, reaching down for Fernando's hand on his chest to lace their fingers together. He covered Fernando's bruised knuckles with as many kisses as his lips would let him, speaking through them, his voice a low rumble in his chest.

"God, I love you, Nando. Don't worry, everything happens for a reason. Getting better is all that matters in the end, right? Getting you better? God, my beautiful little..."

Sergio shook his head, his voice trailing off as he found himself at a loss for words. He captured Fernando's mouth again immediately, devouring him with such intensity that Fernando couldn't breathe. Their hands shook between their chests with how tightly they were clasped together, with how desperate they were just to not let go. Iker's voice tore into the room again, more of a warning this time. Sergio pulled away one last time, tearful and panting once again. He let his hand trail along Fernando's cheek as he started to step away, memorizing him laying there, memorizing the blonde hair that fell across his forehead and curled around his ears, the flush of his cheeks, the spread of freckles like stars there, the dark curtain of lashes over those eyes that haunted his every fucking thought, those eyes that were so boyishly wide and seemingly fragile that even in this moment were begging him, absolutely begging him not to go.

"We'll win this for you. I'll win this for you. We'll take care of you, Nando."

He could only look at him for a moment longer before he opened the door and ran down the hallway. Fernando listened to his retreat, listening until he couldn't hear him anymore. He closed his eyes again but didn't cry. He felt stronger somehow, more resolved. Comforted. When the word entered his mind, he smiled softly to himself and let his body slowly relax bit by bit. He didn't doubt anything Sergio had said, not for a second.


End file.
